COMMON GROUND CONSULTING LLC

A Few Great Books

From time to time, I like to share some of the books I'm reading while I'm on the road. I've finished a few lately—all of them thought-provoking, if not life-changing.

First, I picked up the new book by Mitch Albom, “For One More Day.” Albom is the author of “Tuesdays With Morrie” and “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” both of which I enjoyed more. It wasn't that this book was particularly bad, I just didn't find myself craving free moments when I could pick it up and lose myself in his fantasy world. The book is certainly well-written and I imagine that for those who have lost a parent or lost their own way in the world, this book could be both comforting and inspiring. Its a quick read and for some, I imagine it could be very powerful.

Next, was Nobel Prize winning author, J.M. Coetzee's “Slow Man.” I'm not sure how best to describe this book. Its a novel about growing old and reflecting upon the choices we've made in our lives. Its about what happens when we come face-to-face with our own mortality and when we have to struggle to make peace with our regrets. Coetzee's characters are complex and their struggles indicative of the realities of our changing world. Its about youth and old age. Its about the dichotomy between peaceful solitude and an overwhelming desire for community and companionship. Its sad and hopeful with a sharp wittiness and a surprising warmth.

My favorite read of late is Alain de Botton's “The Art of Travel.” I found this book enthralling. I couldn't put it down. Its insightful and erudite in a way that I haven't experienced since reading somewhat obscure texts for a rhetoric course in college. The book uses authors and poets and painters that we all know and love to help us think about how to fully experience our world. The book isn't really a travel tome; and I'm not sure that I learned all that much about particular destinations. Instead, each chapter offers tools for helping us to truly “see” and “feel” the spaces we inhabit as we walk in the world. I found myself dog-earing the corners of so many pages as he shared insights that resonated with my own experience of travel lately.

One of the concepts that I believe will stay with me is the idea of word-painting. As you know, I love to share my experiences with you here on the blog. Sometimes I struggle to decide how much detail to include, knowing that some of you will be interested in particular aspects of a story while others will not. For me, the little things matter. I'm often fascinated by the day-to-day, somewhat mundane ways in which life is different from place to place. Every once in a while I find myself involved in a moment of overwhelming beauty or profound peacefulness. Those are moments I want to share with you. The moments when I want to “paint” the picture for you through my words. The idea is to not just capture the scene, but to fully describe the emotional connection we have to the moment—in psychological terms even. With Botton's help, I now have more tools.

Changing the Game: Sustainability Demands Passion

I came back late Sunday night from Bulgaria. Early Monday morning, I jumped in the car to make the long drive to Rocky Gap National Park where I was to offer the opening keynote address for the Mid-Atlantic Network for Youth's 18th Annual Conference.

The drive through the Cumberland Valley was unbelievably gorgeous. The changing colors of the leaves on the trees were at their peak and because I left so early, I had a chance to see the sunrise over the mountains. At one point, I actually pulled the car over so I could really appreciate the beauty. I'm trying to take more time to enjoy these special moments that life offers; and given that my remarks were to focus on sustainability, it seemed like a great chance to “walk my talk.”

In my remarks, I mentioned that I'd been coming to the MANY conference since 1997 or ‘98, always impressed by the powerful work that takes place here; and by that same powerful, hopeful feeling that positive change is possible and that each of us has the power to make it happen.

MANY has been such a welcoming community—like a family—for so many people, including me, over the years.

The speech itself was intended to get people thinking about cultivating passion as one strategy for ensuing sustainable practices in our social profit (non-profit) sector. I also outlined several other principles of sustainable practice that I have come to believe in over my years of work in this sector—risk-taking, values clarification, human resource management (particularly a focus on leveraging differences), transparency in management, and a diversification of funding streams.

The speech was well-received and both of the follow-up workshops I conducted were completely full with people interested in the board's role in sustainability planning and organizational capacity building.

Food & Fun

With my recent travel, some of you have emailed noting I didn't take any pictures of food or show photos of the “social life” side of these adventures.

Well, of course I took pictures of what I was eating, and we did manage to have a lot of fun while still working so hard! Here are a few pictures of some of the more memorable meals I had in The Netherlands and in Bulgaria followed up with photos of my friends and I balancing our work with a little bit of play!

First from The Netherlands . . .

And now from Bulgaria . . .

A Cab Ride at 4am

I’m working a lot these days in Central Eastern Europe, particularly in the Balkans, where the promise of freedom and democracy is still in its infancy, but also where the powerful, hopeful feelings of change are really taking root. In fact, when I left Sofia, Bulgaria in the early dawn on Sunday, it was the day of their national presidential elections.

We'd been out late on that Saturday night, celebrating our hard work and my last night with all of my YouAct friends. Because the elections were happening the next day, clubs and bars were not allowed to serve alcohol. They want everyone to be clear-headed when they vote. The elections take place on Sunday, so that even those who must work have every opportunity to use their voice and their vote.

It sure seems like we here in the United States still have a few things to learn.

The young cab driver who brought me home from the clubs agreed to come back a couple of hours later to take me to the airport. It was early, 4am on Sunday, and we loaded my bag and I got into the backseat. Within a few seconds he was peppering me with questions. He had figured out from the conversations I was having with my friends during the first ride, that I was an American, and he had lots of things he wanted to know.

In fact, he pulled over at the end of the street and insisted I sit with him in the front seat as he had so many questions for me as an American, as someone visiting his country with new ideas and offers of help. He wanted to ask me about elections, about voting, whether it really mattered. I insisted to him that it did.

Bulgaria is joining the European Union (EU) on January 1st and their country is going through so much change. He was discouraged by the fact that only 45% of Bulgarians were expected to vote in the national elections that day. I assured him that was a great start and told him that in the U.S. we're lucky when we get 60% turnout and we've been at this a whole lot longer than they have.

The conversation was a great one and really got me thinking. Here was this young guy, maybe 24 or 25 years old, his whole future ahead of him. He's been to school, he's working two jobs to support his family, he's politically involved, he's even visited the U.S. once. He said that when he came to America., the Americans he met were so very different than those he meets who are visiting Bulgaria. In the U.S., he observed, people often seemed closed, protective, isolated, maybe even lonely. When Americans come to Bulgaria, however, he experiences a whole other side. They seem eager to explore his country's rich history. They ask questions. They are open-minded. He wonders why that's true.

So do I.

YouAct: The European Youth Network on Sexual & Reproductive Rights

At the 2006 Annual General Meeting of YouAct in Sofia, Bulgaria, young people from across Europe came together to restructure their powerful coalition to meet the growing needs of youth and their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Founded officially on May 8th, 2004, YouAct has become a major force when it comes to advocating for comprehensive sexuality education for young people and ensuring that young people themselves have a seat at the table when decisions are being made that affect their lives.

The mission of YouAct is to empower young people in their sexual and reproductive health and rights by joining forces in Europe to make their voices heard. YouAct believes that young people have the right to: knowledge, freedom, YouAct, healthcare, equality, safety, privacy, and participation.

Over the course of the weekend, we spent considerable time reviewing the history of YouAct and the organization’s mission, vision, values, and strategic goals. Common Ground's role was to facilitate the tough conversations and help the members to assess what has worked, what hasn’t worked and how the infrastructure could be improved in the future. Building on what was discussed, as well as considerable pre-work, we proposed a new Task Force structure which was ultimately adopted. Each task force developed a charter which, after considerable feedback from the group as a whole, were also approved. Strategic objectives were developed by each task force (a minimum of three objectives for 2007, two for 2008, and one for 2009); and each Task Force also adopted a leader and set a first meeting date.

An Amazing Life

On my flight from Munich to Sofia this morning, I had a moment to reflect on my life these days.

Over the past few months, I've been fortunate to work with some amazing organizations in a handful of countries that I would have never imagined I'd have the chance to explore.

As a kid growing up in a small town in the midwest, I caught the travel bug early; Canada with my family when I was really young and then as an exchange student to Switzerland when I was just sixteen.

Since then, I've had the chance to lead college students on a trip to Russia just as the markets were opening and the USSR was dissolving.

I was with my brother and others in the midst of the Baltic struggle for independence in Lithuania.

I was in Serbia and Montenegro on the day that Montenegro became independent.

On this last trip to Bulgaria, I was there for their presidential elections.

I've been blessed and lucky enough to explore so many beautiful countries: Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, Germany, Liechtenstein, France, Finland, Lithuania, Russia, Serbia (& Montenegro), Belgium, The Netherlands, Macedonia, Croatia, and Bulgaria.

I'm grateful and I know I'm incredibly privileged. I hope I can make the world I'm seeing a little more accessible to those who can't travel as I am. I hope that I grow and change with every new experience. I hope that I can experience life on the edge of my comfort zone, pushing my own boundaries in a way that helps me, as Gandhi said, “To be the change I want to see in the world.”

Sofia, Bulgaria

By now you know that I am a hug fan of Wikipedia, a multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project. Whenever I'm trying to learn about a new place, or a particular issue, I start with Wikipedia.

From Wikipedia . . .

Sofia is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Bulgaria, with a population of 1,246,791, and some 1,377,761 in the metropolitan area, the Capital Municipality. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, and industrial centre of the country.

One of the oldest capital cities in Europe, the history of Sofia dates back to the 8th century BC, when Thracians established a settlement there. Sofia has had several names in the different periods of its existence, and remnants of the city's millenary history can still be seen today alongside modern landmarks.

Sofia's development as a significant settlement owes much to its central position in the Balkans. It is situated in western Bulgaria, at the northern foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the Sofia Valley that is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Three mountain passes lead to the city, which have been key roads since antiquity, connecting the Adriatic Sea and Central Europe with the Black and Aegean Seas.

Making Change Happen

I'm often asked how we ensure that organizations take next steps following Common Ground's onsite technical assistance or individual consultations. With this aspect of our work, the time we spend together is important, but the real work often gets done after we leave.

In order to assist organizations in moving forward, we develop a comprehensive report that offers our written assessment of the organization's strengths, challenges, and current needs. We make concrete recommendations with clear examples, followed up with short-term action steps. Whenever possible, we also suggest ideas for new funding sources and we provide a set of recommended resources and instructions for accessing them.

We've been finding this new reporting template to be very valuable; and we're making it a standard part of all of our consulting work.

If you'd like to see an example of one of these STrategy, Action and ResulTs (START) Reports, double-click the file below. This report has had all of the identifying information removed to respect the confidentiality of our client; but it will still provide you with a clear sense of what you can expect from us.

The Power of Red

Most of my work these days is about sustainability in the social profit sector in the U.S. and around the world. I'm always excited to see innovative new strategies being put to work on behalf of the people of the world.

This week, U2's Bono unveiled a great new strategy that brings together some of the most creative and powerful global corporations to raise millions of dollars through the sales of their hottest products. Now in the big picture, very little money usually flows from the corporate sector to the social profit sector. If you've been through fundraising training with me, you know I'm not generally a big fan of this funding stream.

Having said that, however, this new approach has more value (in a sustainability context) because it plays to each entity's self-interest. It raises visibility for the issue, the social sector partner (The Global Fund), the companies involved, and their spokespeople. The Global Fund receives money as do the corporations who are still making profit (just a little less) from the sales of their best products. It is a win for everyone.

For more information, click here: The Power of Red

CHOICE for Youth & Sexuality

At the Annual Strategic Meeting of CHOICE, we focused on conversations and decision-making related to the organization’s vision and strategic planning. The organization has had a challenging, yet productive year. They accomplished many of the goals that were set at this retreat last year; and following our conversations here in the Netherlands in 2005, they took several important steps in terms of their board development. In particular, the board assumed a greater level of responsibility over the organization’s decision-making, initiated conversations with WPF (its founder), and managed the departure and transition of the organization’s first coordinator.

The mission of CHOICE is to promote the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people and their meaningful participation in the field. CHOICE was established by the World Population Foundation in 1997 as the Dutch Council on Youth and Population.

On the program side, CHOICE conducted more than 50 activities related to their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy in The Netherlands and their international training and development activities in Nepal and Pakistan. They also participated in a variety of awareness-raising activities, international conferences, and they continue to provide support to two international coalitions, YouACT and the Youth Coalition.

Again this year, the organization came into its annual strategic weekend with an ambitious agenda and the desire to make important decisions related to its governance and infrastructure. They also came into the meeting with several new members and a tremendous amount of enthusiasm concerning their future.

Common Ground's role was to facilitate tough conversations related to accountability and to help CHOICE create a structure that will allow them to realize the promise of their mission and achieve their strategic goals. I spent a great deal of time reviewing documents in advance of the meeting; as well as “interviewing” key members of the board and staff. In this way. I was able to make recommendations that were aligned with the organization’s current course, even while proposing somewhat radical shifts in the organization’s functioning.

One of the strengths of CHOICE is the passion and enthusiasm of all of its stakeholders (members, staff, and board). This was evident throughout the weekend, as was the commitment to working very hard to ensure that practical next steps were clearly defined before the meting adjourned. I was extremely impressed with the dedication and commitment demonstrated by all who were present. That they could work so hard and still manage to pay attention to their community and social life, are further evidence of the power of young people working for change.

By the end of the 2006 strategic weekend, CHOICE had made important decisions about its infrastructure (including the creation of five task forces complete with charters, team leaders, first meeting dates, and annual prioritized goals for 2007, 2008, and 2009); as well as committing to making important decisions about the organization’s staffing—decisions that had been delayed until now.